Tag: Cam Phillips

Wisconsin Spring Position Preview: Wide Receivers

Taking a closer look at the wide receiver position group as Wisconsin enters spring football

Spring football allows for head coach Paul Chryst to not have to worry about preparing for a game. Instead, it allows him to teach the game of football and continue to develop the players on Wisconsin’s roster as they prepare for the 2020 season. Chryst will have 15 practices beginning March 22 to help his team improve and build on what they accomplished during the 2019 season.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we will break down the wide receiver position for Wisconsin as it heads into spring practice.

Spring Wide Receiver Roster

A.J. Abbott (redshirt sophomore), Stephan Bracey (redshirt freshman), Danny Davis (senior), Jordan DiBenedetto (redshirt freshman), Chimere Dike (freshman), Jack Dunn (redshirt senior), Cade Green (redshirt junior), Mike Gregoire (redshirt sophomore), Adam Krumholz (redshirt senior), Taj Mustapha (redshirt sophomore), Cooper Nelson (redshirt freshman), Cam Phillips (redshirt freshman), Emmet Perry (redshirt junior), Kendric Pryor (redshirt senior)

What we know going into spring practice

It will be an important spring for both Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor as their roles will change as they head into their final seasons. Considering Pryor who has mostly played on the outside at the wide receiver position will likely now be relied on to play in the slot, which was played by A.J. Taylor a season ago.

Outside of those two consistently working on their games it will be an important spring for the Badgers to build quality depth behind Davis and Pryor. That responsibility will fall on first-year wide receiver coach Alvis Whitted who served as the Green Bay Packers wide receivers coach a season ago.

The likely top two wide receivers behind Davis and Pryor are a pair of redshirt seniors in Jack Dunn and Adam Krumholz. Dunn is slated to miss all of spring football due to a left leg injury. Krumholz has demonstrated to be a solid blocker for Wisconsin but he only has caught three passes in 31 career games.

Whitted will also need to continue with the development of A.J. Abbott and Taj Mustapha. Mustapha played in four games as a true freshman while maintaining his freshman eligibility but only appeared in one game a season ago. Abbott appeared in eight games a season ago as his action mostly came on special teams.

Chimere Dike who signed with Wisconsin as a part of the 2020 recruiting class elected to enroll early. Dike will get a head start in getting acclimated to college life and being able to create a new routine for himself. The biggest challenge for Dike is getting used to the speed of the college game and being able to learn from the mistakes he does make over the course of spring football.

What we hope to find out following spring practice

The progress of Abbott and Mustapha will be examined closely as the development of those two players could be the key to the success on whether or not the Badgers are able to consistently utilize four wide receivers this year.

Two other players who could have productive springs are a pair of redshirt freshmen in Stephan Bracey and Cam Phillips.

Bracey didn’t appear in a game a season ago but he did travel with the team for road games toward the end of the season. With the departure of Aron Cruickshank who transferred to Rutgers could Bracey take on a similar role that Cruickshank had in Wisconsin’s offense if he earns the trust of the coaches?

Phillips a walk-on held multiple scholarship offers including one from Wisconsin but he suffered a knee injury his senior year, which caused him to miss his entire season. The injury suffered by Phillips changed the course of his recruitment as the Badgers were able to land him as a walk-on.

Phillips was an early enrollee last year but because of his injury, he couldn’t compete during spring football. Phillips now healthy will look to show that his injury is behind him as he tries to earn playing time.

Wisconsin was able to utilize and rely on four wide receivers a season ago and if that’s the case again this coming season the Badgers will need Krumholz, Abbott, Mustapha or someone else to take the next step in their development. As the wide receivers will get plenty of reps during spring football as it will be up to them to take advantage and get better with each practice.

 

Watch: P.J. Walker-Cam Phillips connection strikes for 2 TDs as Houston goes to 5-0

Cam Phillips caught a couple of TD passes from P.J. Walker in Week 5 of the XFL season for the Houston Roughnecks

After a quiet Week 4, the Houston Roughnecks’ classy combo is back on track.

P.J. Walker and Cam Phillips connected for a pair of touchdowns Saturday against the Seattle Dragons. The Roughnecks rebounded from a pair of significant deficits to take a 32-23 lead in the fourth quarter after the second touchdown pass, which was the ninth connection between the tandem of the season.

The score held up and Houston improved to 5-0, remaining the lone undefeated team in the XFL.

First, Walker found Phillips for five yards that turned a 23-20 deficit into a 26-23 advantage in a game that saw Houston fall behind 14-0 and 23-14.

Then, Walker and Phillips combined on an 11-yard scoring play to make it 32-23.

On the day, Phillips had 10 catches for 122 yards and the two scores. This came a week after he was limited to one catch for nine yards.

Walker had an up-and-down game but you couldn’t tell strictly from his stat line, which was 27-of-38 for 351 yards with three TD passes. However, the front-runner for league MVP also had two picks and lost a fumble.

All this in front of Seattle Seahawks scouts, according to Steve Levy who did play-by-play for ABC/ESPN.

 

5 bold predictions for Week 5 of the XFL

Will the Dallas Renegades be able to keep Bob Stoops from going under .500 after five games in the XFL?

The XFL reaches its midpoint with the Houston Roughnecks looking to remain perfect. The Tampa Bay Vipers face the LA Wildcats on the West Coast, as 1-3 teams look to avoid falling out of playoff hope.

Cam Phillips will resurface

Bob Levey/Getty Images

The Houston Roughnecks went to 4-0 with their Texas Throwdown victory over the Dallas Renegades. They catch the Seattle Dragons in Texas this week. Jim Zorn’s Dragons are 1-3 and feel like they are headed for oblivion. The one hope is BJ Daniels, who stepped in and provided a spark at QB. The odd part of the Houston victory last week was the lack of production from Cam Phillips, who was dominant in the first three weeks. Phillips had a lone catch for nine yards. Look for him to reconnect with P.J. Walker and fill up the stats sheet.

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XFL Week 4: Former Bills WR Brandon Reilly stock rises while others fall

Recap of former Buffalo Bills players in the XFL from Week 4 of action.

After not really being an impact player for the St. Louis Battlehawks early in this XFL season, former Bills preseason standout receiver Brandon Reilly had his best game-to-date this past weekend.

Reilly was second on his team with two catches for 25 yards, while also notching one carry for three yards last week. Prior to that, he hadn’t been featured on their offense. In Week 4, he followed that up with three catches for 46 yards on five targets. He had one nice grab along the sidelines, too:

Reilly’s efforts helped his team top the Seattle Dragons 23-16. In that outing, another former Bills receiver, Austin Proehl, had a down game with one catch for one yard on five targets. Proehl has proven to be up-and-down in the XFL.

On the positive side for Seattle, former Bills tight end Evan Rodriguez only had one catch for the second-straight week. This time it went for a 10-yard touchdown, though.

In other wideout down-swing news, the league’s best wideout through three weeks was Cam Phillips and for the first time in a Houston Roughnecks game, he was relatively ineffective. On three targets, Phillips only had one catch for nine yards.  He’s already a two-time XFL Player of the Week, but he did enter the game with an ankle injury. His team stayed undefeated with a win over the Dallas Renegades, 27-20.

In some of the most disappointing XFL news from Week 4, the DC Defenders and former Bill Cardale Jones were bad once again. After starting the year as a potential MVP candidate, they’ve lost their past two games and were shutout 25-0 this week against the Tampa Bay Vipers. Rashad Ross, who had a cup of tea with the Bills, had three catches for 18 yards but Jones didn’t complete many passes. He was 9-for-22 passing for 72 yards with an interception. Defensively, Sharmarko Thomas had three tackles for the Defenders while linebacker AJ Tarpley added another six.

9 takeaways from Bills’ Brandon Beane at the NFL Combine

Nine takeaways from Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane at the 2020 NFL Combine.

The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine is underway from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Among those representing the Buffalo Bills at the yearly prospect event are general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott.

The front office duo spoke to reporters on Tuesday and discussed a variety of topics in regard to their organization.

Here are nine takeaways from Beane at the combine:

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Extending players with term left on contract

The Bills have the third-most salary cap space heading into the offseason. It’s a big topic of discussion. If the Bills really want to sling some dollars and bring in the big fish, they certainly can do so.

But there’s an underlying factor at play. The Bills have several young players still on their rookie contracts, who are key members of the team, that will need extensions in a year or two. Among those entering the final year of their contracts are linebacker Matt Milano, offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, and cornerback Tre’Davious White, however, White does have a fifth-year option on his deal as a former first-round pick.

With those three in mind, Beane said the negotiations for extensions probably won’t come until later this offseason just because of his schedule. Free agency opens in March and then the NFL Draft is in April.

“It can vary,” Beane said. “The way it’s worked out, I think I’ve done more [of those types of deals] after the draft.”

“There’s just so much more going on from when the season ends, through the draft, through free agency, it’s hard to slow down and focus on guys you already have under contract,” Beane added.

Although, Beane did admit he “would not be hesitant to do a deal now if it made sense.” Players Beane has extended after the draft include Jerry Hughes, Stephen Hauschka and Eric Wood.

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XFL Week 3: Is former Bills WR Cam Phillips the league’s best?

Former Buffalo Bills player roundup recap of from the XFL’s Week 3.

In our Week 2 XFL recap of former Buffalo Bills players, we had Cam Phillips and Cardale Jones lead the way. Both were big stories again in Week 3, but they’re trending in different directions now.

Phillips is currently the Jerry Rice of the XFL. Yes, the former Bill is probably the best receiver the league is seeing and he’s going to get calls for NFL training camps after the season. Jones is still one of the better quarterbacks the XFL has, but he came back down to earth after two big games.

Here’s your full breakdown of former Bills players from the XFL’s third week of action:

Feb 22, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Houston Roughnecks wide receiver Cam Phillips. Credit: Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports

Phillips is leading the XFL in receiving yards after three weeks, averaging more than 100 yards per game. He has 324. Nelson Spruce of the LA Wildcats has 256, good for second in the league, so Phillips has a sizable edge.

In Week 3, Phillips once again… yes, once again, scored three times. He scored three times once already this season, so he has more three-touchdown games than non-three score games this season. That’s impressive.

His eight catches on 10 targets for 194 yards and three scores helped the Houston Roughnecks hang onto their undefeated record. They topped the Tampa Bay Vipers, 34-27.

The Roughnecks are the lone undefeated team left because Jones’ DC Defenders lost and lost big. The Wildcats topped them 39-9 and Jones was not good. On 26 pass attempts, Jones only completed half of his passes for 103 yards. He also had a whopping four interceptions.

Not only was it the Defenders’ first loss of the season, it was the first time Jones lost a football game since high school after his brief Ohio State and non-existent NFL career, to this point.

While Jones struggled for the Defenders, another former Bill semi-stood out as tight end Khari Lee was his leading receiver with three catches for 38 yards. Along with Jones, his struggles transferred over to Malachi Dupre, as the wideout who had one catch in Week 2, was held without a target in Week 3. Defensively, safety Shamarko Thomas had two tackles for the Defenders as well.

DC Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones. Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Out in Seattle with the Dragons, another former Bill wide receiver had a good game, a bounce-back one of sorts. Austin Proehl scored the first touchdown in the XFL’s season in Week 1 then was quiet in Week 2. This past weekend he led his team with six catches for 81 yards with a touchdown. That brought him to 168 yards on the season, making him the No. 5 target in the league, in terms of receiving yards.

In addition to Proehl, former Bills tight end Evan Rodriguez had one catch for Seattle as well in their 24-12 loss to the Dallas Renegades.

Wrapping things up in St. Louis with the Battlehawks, they topped the New York Guardians 29-9. Former Bills wide receiver Brandon Reilly finally made an impact on a game in St. Louis’ first home game. Reilly was second on his team with two catches for 25 yards, while also notching one carry for three yards.

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Who is Cam Phillips, touchdown machine WR for the Houston Roughnecks?

Cam Phillips has been Mr. Touchdown in the XFL through three weeks. Where did the WR play college ball?

Cam Phillips is the favorite receiver of the Houston Roughnecks’ star QB P.J. Walker. Phillips already has six TD passes in a little more than 10 quarters of the XFL season.

So, who is Cam Phillips?

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WATCH: P.J. Walker and Cam Phillips hook up for incredible 84-yard TD pas

P.J. Walker and Cam Phillips of the XFL Houston Roughnecks connected for their fifth TD of the season in the first quarter Saturday.

The most lethal combination in the XFL, P.J. Walker and Cam Phillips, connected again in the first quarter of the Houston Roughnecks’ game with the Tampa Bay Vipers on Saturday.

Walker, the Patrick Mahomes of the new league, appeared to be running on the play. However, as the QB got to the line and was about to be dragged down, he unleashed a pass that was tipped. It wound up in the hands of Phillips and 84 yards later he was in the end zone.

Walker and Phillips had connected for four touchdowns in the first two weeks. And the beat goes on for the combo.

To add a finishing touch, Walker found Sam Mobley for a three-point PAT that gave the Roughnecks a 9-3 lead.

It will be fascinating to see what NFL team makes a play for Walker, who was an Indianapolis Colts practice squad player.

XFL Week 2: Former Bills Cardale Jones, Cam Phillips shine

Former Buffalo Bills Cardale Jones, Cam Phillips, shine in Week 2 of XFL action.

DC Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones. Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The XFL has already started off better than the AAF as the league is still in existence after its second week of games. The league also saw an increase in attendance in Week 2 as well, so some good signs early.

In regard to former Buffalo Bills players lacing it up in the new league, former quarterback Cardale Jones and wide receiver Cam Phillips were the two former Buffalo connections that shined in Week 2.

After a strong opening week, Jones, starting quarterback for the DC Defenders, had another big week in his team’s 27-0 shutout of the New York Guardians. Jones was 23-for-37 passing for 276 yards with two scores and an interception. Jones added another 14 yards rushing on the ground. His highlight play was actually a first down gain after Jones fumbled the ball:

Jones has a few former Bills players on offense with them, but neither of them stood out. Tight end Khari Lee caught a touchdown pass on a trick play from Jones in Week 1, but only had one catch in Week 2. Wideout Malachi Dupre had two targets and one catch for 12 yards in Week 2.

Houston Roughnecks wide receiver Cam Phillips. Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Our second former Bills start of the Week 2 of XFL action was Houston Roughnecks reciever Cam Phillips. On 10 total targets, Phillips had eight catches for 63 yards. Three of those catches ended up for touchdowns.

One of Phillips’ scores came via a Pat Mahomes-like pass from quarterback PJ Walker. He tossed it sidearm but got the job done and Phillips held on:

While Phillips shined, another former Bills wideout actually went in the opposite direction this recent week. Former Bill Austin Prohel scored the first ever XFL touchdown last week for the Seattle Dragons. This week he laid a big of an egg. On four targets, Prohel only had one catch for a loss of one yard.

 

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WATCH! Jeremiah Johnson 66-yard INT return sets up Houston TD

Houston DB Jeremiah Johnson returned a pick 66 yards to set up a Roughnecks touchdown.

Jeremiah Johnson picked off Jordan Ta’amu in the fourth quarter Sunday and brought it back 66 yards to put the Houston Roughnecks in scoring position.

P.J. Walker and Cam Phillips did the rest, connecting on their third touchdown of the game as Houston grabbed a 28-18 lead.

Walker and Phillips have connected for four touchdowns in the first two weeks of the XFL season.

FOX’s Greg Olsen noticed a Roughnecks player was in the neutral zone on the pick and Houston should have been flagged. QB Jordan Ta’amu felt he had a free play and made the risky pass. However, the officials missed the call.